


half past five

by beatswords



Category: Mr. Robot (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Childhood Friends, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2015-10-05
Packaged: 2018-04-24 21:39:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4936285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beatswords/pseuds/beatswords
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"In fact, [Elliot] was doing just fine before you moved back into the city." - Angela Moss</p><p>Childhood!AU where Darlene and Trenton grew up together up until Darlene leaves, which was mentioned in 1x09. The timeline loosely follows what we've learned from the show, but most of it is up for interpretation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	half past five

**Author's Note:**

> Contains typos. Started to reread and edit, but got tired and wanted to get this out before I lost inspiration. Hopefully they aren't too distracting, but let me know!

**D** arlene was a tornado of sorts, constantly engulfing bystanders into her whirlwind of chaos, even if just for a moment. She yelled at people that stared too long or tried to compliment her. She walked like she knew where she was going, but rarely had a destination. Sometimes Trenton felt as though she had been forgotten, trailing behind ever so quietly down the busy street.

But she lived for the moments when Darlene slowed to a stop, as if finally realizing her surroundings, and turn around to stare at her. An annoyed “Trenton, what the fuck? Can you walk any slower?” usually followed, but it always made Trenton pick up the pace, falling back in place beside her.

It sounds cliché, and ignorant, to say that she never expected this. As if anyone expects to fall in love period, let alone with someone who has become such a constant in their life. Love invades, every time. The person who causes it comes with no warning, but all of a sudden, they’re the only person that matters.

 

 

 **B** eing an only child with a father who worked 60-hour weeks and a mother who spent all day at the public libraries, studying for her online courses, meant that Trenton spent a lot of time at home. She didn’t have many friends. Even in a diverse place as New York, her peers didn’t understand why she wore “that thing on her head” and couldn’t help making ignorant terrorist jokes, as if she wasn’t standing right there. She hurried home after class every day, praying for the days that her studying got her into a university with educated people.

For every tired, yet accomplished, smile her parents gave her, followed by a tangent of how great America was, Trenton felt herself irrationally hating it. The Land of the Free and yet she couldn’t help but wonder how different her life would be if they hadn’t came here. She certainly wouldn’t have to explain her culture to anyone. She wouldn’t have to hold her tongue every 4th of July while her mother baked an American flag cake and her father put on Independence Day.

For a place that was so great, why was it becoming rarer and rarer to turn on the television and see unjust murders or new laws enforced that made it harder for people without white skin? Patriotism seemed to rely on a lot of blindness and superficiality. She hated everything America truly stood for. Not the freedom it bathed its intentions in.

 

 

 **T** he Alderson family lived nearby. Trenton had had classes with Darlene since kindergarten, but they had never spoken. Trenton admired Darlene from the start. She was very smart, and made a point of arguing with teachers during class. At recess, she stomped around in her combat boots, annoyed at the world. A poster child for anarchy. Her older brother Elliott was the complete opposite. Quiet, awkward, reserved. He was smart too, but never made it known, unlike his sister.

Trenton would watch them on the walk home, unintentionally walking behind them as they headed to their street. She observed how Darlene led the way, yelling at elders if they tried to speak to them. Elliott never did anything, but Trenton assumed he would step in if they found themselves in true danger.

Over the years, Trenton noticed the weeks when Elliott wasn’t at school. Darlene looked tired, as if she hadn’t been sleeping well. The walk home, she’d plug her headphones in and walk faster. As Trenton slowed down in front of her house, she would see Darlene hesitating outside her door. As if she was scared to enter her own house. Those were the weeks Trenton liked Darlene the most. She felt real.

 

 

 **O** n the first day of summer, post-eleventh grade, Trenton heard a knock at the front door. Since her family rarely had visitors, she cautiously snuck towards the door and peered through the hole. She spotted Darlene glancing around outside. She was wearing sunglasses and a bikini, a towel wrapped around her waist.

“I know you’re in there.” Darlene yelled.

Trenton jumped and opened the door. It felt surreal to see Darlene staring back at her. All those years of watching her felt like she was in a movie. And now, here she was.

“Hi.”

“Hey. Travis, right?” Darlene asked, pushing past her and walking into her house. “Oh fuck yes, you have the AC on. It’s fucking hot outside and the community pool is crowded. I literally hauled my ass back up here and realized I forgot my damn house keys.” Trenton stood frozen at the door as Darlene plopped on her couch, propping her feet up on the arm of the couch.

After a couple moments, she finally closed the front door and walked inside. “I hate summers.” She mumbled, sitting down on the floor beside the couch. “And it’s Trenton, not Travis.”

Darlene moved her sunglasses onto her hair and looked over at Trenton. “We have class together, don’t we?”

Trenton smirked. “Yeah. Since forever. I didn’t think you noticed honestly.”

“Dude, honestly, I barely notice anyone. I hate school. And not in some I-hate-schoolwork type of way. No, the American educational system is utter bullshit. They set you up to fail and the kids who manage to beat the system are treated like geniuses when it’s like, nice try, but I didn’t get this way due to your crappy textbooks and useless teachers. I wish I could drop out, but of course you can’t get a fucking decent job without a degree from some asshole university that’s just gonna drown you in loans for the rest of your life.” Darlene paused and looked away. “Sorry.” Her apology was hollow and transparent, but luckily Trenton loved every moment of the tangent.

Trenton shook her head. “No, don’t be. I mean, I love education and I want to go to an Ivy League after high school, but you’re so right. Everything I’ve actually learned has been outside of school and that sounds so selfish, considering everything my parents have done for me to have a better life, but…”

Darlene’s expression softened and she reached into her bikini bra, pulling out a joint. “Are your parents home?”

“Never.”

They both grinned and Trenton grabbed a lighter from the kitchen. She had never had any interest in drugs, but something about Darlene was so intoxicating. The two of them laid on the floor, heads touching, as they passed the joint between them until it diminished.

Though her issues lied with the school system, it was as close to Trenton’s own issues with society as anyone had ever gotten. Up until now, her life was boring and predictable. She lived with a restlessness buried within her, waiting to be awakened.

 **F** rom that point on, Darlene and Trenton were inseparable. They ate lunch together every day outside, talked throughout classes, bitched throughout all-nighters as they studied for exams, and explored the high school social scene. Trenton had a knack for hacking into social media accounts and with Darlene’s creative genius, they invented some hilariously offensive posts under the disguise of people they hated.

But despite what she said, Darlene was wildly popular.

Everyone wanted to be her friend and she was always getting invited to a party or hang out. Most of the time, she’d make an appearance and hit up the party drug dealer, while others she’d ditch. Either way, Trenton tagged along. It felt like working backstage at a concert. She got to see things she only thought possible in movies, without being seen.

Aside from a polite “hey Trenton,” no one paid any attention to her. They knew the deal. She went where Darlene went. It was obvious no one understood it, but no one questioned it. Trenton didn’t question it either. She’d stay up occasionally, wondering why Darlene plucked her out of the crowd.

“Is it hard?” Darlene asked, bringing a beer glass up to her lips and taking a small sip. She rested her head against the chain and let her feet push her slowly back and forth on the swing. Trenton broke her gaze away from the starry night sky and took her the question. “Moving to a new country? I get so caught up in hating everything America represents that I forget how privileged I am.”

“It gets easier every year. After 9/11, it was pretty rough. My mom got harassed on the train and stopped wearing her hijab. I considered it, but it felt like I was ashamed of it. I never wanted them to feel like they got to me.”

“Fucking racists.” Darlene mumbled, taking another sip.

Trenton smirked.

And then there were times like that, where she was reminded how much of a perfect fit they were.

 

 

 **S** he knew her place. After the initial getting plastered, she realized alcohol wasn’t her thing. She much more enjoyed observing, listening to the drunken rants of privileged youth. Naïve resistance to their corporate futures. Even Darlene was a hypocrite. Her father worked for E-Corp before he passed, one of the biggest corporations in the world, and she sat there, drinking her life away as she aced every single one of her classes.

Alcohol made Darlene giggly at first. She laughed at jokes she usually thought were stupid, talked louder than normal, and danced a lot. Mainly draping her body around Trenton, pressing their foreheads together, gripping her waist.

It always made Trenton blush, which seemed to fuel Darlene. People would stop and stare, waiting to see if it progressed. It never did. The song would change and Darlene would disappear into the next room, leaving Trenton standing there. Breathless.

At a certain point in the night, once Darlene had gotten done making out with a random boy from a grade older than them, she would stumble around the room yelling for her. “Trenton? Trenton, you still here?” That’s when Trenton would arise from her seat, smugly smiling as she approached her and led her outside.

 **I** t was only during the late night walks home where the real Darlene came out. Still reckless, of course, but seeped in sadness. Some nights she couldn't walk and would sit on the sidewalk sobbing, ignoring Trenton's questions. Other nights she would ask the questions.

"Do you think if I walked out and got hit by this car, I'd die?" A mischievous giggle escaped her lips, that was instantly replaced with an eye roll. "I'd probably just get paralyzed or some bullshit."

Trenton knew Darlene had issues, serious issues that probably needed medical counseling, but she never said anything. She wanted to be someone Darlene could trust with anything. It felt like an outlandish thought, to somehow try to contain a tornado, but she wanted to try.

There was one night she'd never forget. Darlene had drank more than usual and got into a pointless, yet heated, fight with an unassuming girl. Trenton stepped in and pulled her away. They walked down the block in silence.

"Elliot's sick. He doesn't fucking remember me. _Me_."

Trenton could count on one hand the amount of conversations she'd had with Elliot. Since being friends with Darlene, she saw him more, but they usually stuck to awkward greetings before parting ways. There was no denying how close the Alderson siblings were. Darlene loved Elliot more than anyone in the world. He was her favorite person.

"Like amnesia?"

"Like, he's taking drugs and it's making him paranoid. He screamed at me this morning like a fucking maniac.” Tears formed in her eyes, but she didn’t bother to wipe them away. Finally, she looked at her. “I don't know what to do."

Her voice was soft, almost childlike. For all the time they spent together, this was the first time Trenton witnessed the real Darlene. The one visible through glimpses and eavesdropping. She felt reminded of the day they officially met, how out-of-body it had felt. She never expected them to get here. To trust each other.

A car drove by at that moment, their headlights bathing Darlene's face. Trenton had never put much thought to sexuality, but she knew a couple things for certain. One, she loved how she felt under Darlene's gaze. Second, being the one to cause Darlene laughter made her day. And third, it broke her heart to see Darlene sad.

Hesitantly, her arms wrapped around her, squeezing tight. Darlene didn't pull away, but enveloped her as well. They stayed like that, meshing into one. Trenton felt Darlene's breath. It was shaky and inconsistent. Her hands rubbed the small of Darlene's back, forming tiny circles.

Darlene moved her head, letting it rest on her shoulder. She let out a deep sigh. "God, I love you."

Trenton froze. Four words, said so casually, had the ability to make her feel instantly weak at the knees. Like every romantic comedy. She pulled away and stared into Darlene's eyes, searching for an explanation. She had guesses, but she wanted to be sure.  


Their first kiss was rushed and sloppy and reeked of alcohol. Darlene grabbed her face and pulled her in, jamming her tongue down her throat. Trenton had never been kissed before, and while she knew romance was often misguided, she never pictured it like this.

Quickly, her hands pushed Darlene away. She felt so exposed, like an open band aid.

"I get that you're in a bad situation, but please don't disrespect me."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I don’t want to be just another pointless hookup--“

“Oh my god!” Darlene through her hands up in frustration. She ran a hand through her hair, though it looked more like she had to resist pulling it out. “Is that the kind of person you think I am?”

“I don’t know, let me ask the guys at school.”

“Fuck you.” Darlene spat, before crossing the street. Trenton doesn’t follow.

 

 

 **S** eventeen days go by before they talk. Trenton is surprised by how easily she slips back into her shell. She gets ahead of schoolwork, goes to bed at a reasonable time, even manages to pack lunches for her parents every day.

At school, she eats in the library. She reads. She pretends she doesn’t hear Darlene’s name called repeatedly in class, always concluded with a tired ‘absent.’ She adjusts and almost forgets about the past year.

The knocking on the computer lab door startles her. She glances over to see Darlene standing there, staring at her. She turns her attention back to her emails. 18 unread. Unlike most people, she reads through all of them.

Darlene lets out a sigh and approaches her, grabbing a swivel chair along the way and sitting down. “Alright, listen. I need to talk to you about something, but I want to make it clear that I will never forgive you for what you said to me.”

Trenton clicks ‘Next’ and reads the next email.

“Elliot’s in a good place right now and we’ve been talking. Really talking. We want to start a group. An underground group.” Her voice lowers to a whisper. Trenton’s ears perk up, but she continues to click through her emails. “We’re still thinking of a name, but we’re basically done letting these Evil Corp fuckers mess with society. They won’t get away with what they did to my dad.”

Trenton stops clicking, her eyes still glued to the computer screen. Her heart stops.

Darlene sighs again and pushes her chair towards her. Their eyes finally meet. “Trenton, I’m talking about actual life-changing shit here. I want you to join us. Can you stop checking your damn emails?”

“I got into NYU.”

 

 

 **U** niversity was always a part of the plan, but Darlene wasn’t. NYU wasn’t her first choice, but it’s local. She starts imagining herself on campus, finally amongst peers. She chose the Gallatin School of Individualized Study for the educational freedom. She was tired of being fed pointless information.

They still weren’t talking, but Trenton showed up to the first official meeting of fsociety. At first, it was just the three of them, sitting in Darlene’s bedroom, discussing everything wrong with the world. While Darlene and Trenton were used to making generalized rants, Elliot had specific reasons for his hatred of society.

He had gotten a corporate job straight out of high school, which made sense considering how smart he was. Trenton could listen to him talk for hours and felt her feelings not only validated, but evolving.

With Trenton starting college and Elliot juggling work and therapy (though Trenton wasn’t supposed to know that), the meetings were somewhat scattered. Darlene had the most free time out of the three, as well as the best at socializing, so she spent a lot of time recruiting people.

Eventually they expanded. Darlene found an abandoned amusement park, which became fsociety headquarters. It was out of the way for everyone, but Trenton found herself sleeping there so she didn’t have to take the train too late back to campus.

The first night, Darlene slept over with her.

The floor was uncomfortable, but with enough blankets, it was almost bearable. Romero snored loudly from his chair. He said he was leaving three hours ago and Trenton was dying to take off her hijab for the night.

She laid awake on her makeshift bed, staring up at the patterned sheets that hung above the beds, creating a fort. Darlene had fallen asleep not too long ago, but hadn’t stopped tossing and turning.

“How the _fuck_ can I still feel the ground with ten blankets under me?!” She yelled.

Trenton let out an amused laugh, but it slowly fell from her face. She gazed at Darlene, who had buried her head underneath a pillow, before biting her lip. “Did you know that was my first kiss?”

There was no movement, but she knew she was awake. She waited, for what seemed like hours, before she heard a response.

Darlene popped her head up, holding eye contact. She was glaring at her. “I would never take advantage of you, no matter how angry or screwed up I’m feeling. I would never use you as a way to clear my mind when there are a shit ton of stupid boys out there to mess with.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t like talking about stuff, Trenton, and I hate bullshit more than anything. When I say something, I mean it.”

Trenton looked away, letting the words sink in. Being friends with someone like Darlene was exhausting. But being mad with someone like Darlene was even worse. She turned back to her and let out a sigh. “I love you too.”

Darlene blinked, not expecting that. But before Trenton could considering covering it up, Darlene leaned in, giving her a small kiss. This time, Trenton smiled and kissed her back. It was less forceful than their first kiss, slowly deepening. Trenton leaned back against the blankets, while Darlene moved on top of her.

Hands laced together, gripping onto each other. Her entire body felt like it was tingling, electricity surging through her veins. She pulled Darlene closer, resting a hand on the back of her hand.

Romero snored himself awake, coughing a bit to himself. They parted, glancing over at him. Darlene stayed straddling her, until Trenton moved her off. He didn’t seem to notice anything and started to drift again.

They giggled.

 

 

 **F** or awhile, fsociety felt too good to be true. Every conversation felt sparked with a mix of passionate anger and a determination for change. Elliot had become the unspoken leader, with Darlene as his right hand man. Together, they mapped out ways to hijack the system and free society for the growing dependency on corporations.

Trenton finally felt like she was amongst people that understood her. She wasn’t just another outsider in a world filled with people who followed the same routines and trends every moment. Fsociety was a true family, arguments included. She found herself more alert in her classes, actually ignoring the judging stares as she raised her hand, instead of pretending to ignore them. She had found her own acceptance outside of education.

But for every moment she found herself standing straighter and walking with her head up, she hated that she found herself smiling the brightest during meetings when Darlene would sneak a look at her and they’d share a private smile.

They hadn’t talked about hooking up, but something had definitely changed. Darlene leaned against her more, held her hand on walks, and kissed her in the dead of the night. She spent enough time on campus and in her dorm that people started to assume she went to their school. They were official without the actual words, which seemed enough for now.

Love managed to seem like too strong of a word. Trenton had never been in love, but she knew what she felt and that it felt real.

Maybe she was destined to befriend the grungy spoiled brat in kindergarten. Maybe they would break up tomorrow and never speak again. She tried not to think ahead. Right now was what mattered.

And right now, Darlene Alderson was her everything.

 

 

 **B** ut, like all good things, bliss had an expiration date.

Elliot disappeared for a week with no explanation. Everyone started to panic, scared for the future. Trenton and Darlene, the only two who knew what was happening, tried to calm everyone down. But there was no denying that fsociety was on hold.

Finally, Darlene and Angela found him. He had gone on a bender and was back at his apartment. Everything should’ve been fine, but there was a shift.

Darlene took a drag from the joint and passed it over to Trenton, staring out the window at the drunken teenagers heading out for a night at the frats. Trenton’s roommate was definitely that type, rarely in the room and only ever back to change. It was a dream living situation.

Trenton took the joint to her lips, gave a slight inhale and quickly exhaled before passing it back. She smoked occasionally, but hated the way it stuck to her clothes. Tonight she could tell that Darlene needed it, however.

“I need to go.” Darlene thought aloud, still staring at the window.

“I told you, Amanda doesn’t care if you spent the night.”

“No, I need to _go_. Out of town. Away from this stupid place with this stupid city with these stupid fucking people.”

Trenton glanced down, which Darlene noticed. She got up from the windowseat and crouched in front of her. Only her silhouette was visible, the moon flooding onto the room more when she moved away. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just, I need to find my own thing. You have college. Your future is set. I have no idea what I’m doing with my life.”

“No one’s future is set, Darlene. Well, aside from us all dying at some point, but I don’t want I’m doing either. I don’t even know if I want to finish college anymore. I love learning, but I’d also love to spend more time delving into fsociety and making it live to its fullest potential.”

“fsociety is dead! That’s my whole fucking point. And if you’re really considering dropping out of college to sit around at the headquarters all day like Romero, I can’t even talk to you.”

“What is there to figure out? Apply to college, get a job, it’s not that hard.”

“It is that fucking hard. I don’t know what I’m doing with my life! Isn’t it obvious?” Darlene stood up and started to pace around the room. “Elliot isn’t getting any better and I can’t keep waiting around for him to disappear again. I need space.”

“Where would you even go?”

“The west coast? Overseas? I don’t know, Trenton. But if I stay here, I’m going to lose my shit.”

“Then go.”

Darlene stopped pacing. Trenton stood up and approached her, holding onto her hand. “I get feeling lost. If you need to get away, do it. I’ll be here.”

“I love you so much, I swear to fucking God.” Darlene screamed, pulling her into a kiss. “I’ll be back, I promise.”

 

 

 **S** aying goodbye felt as impactful as saying hello. Darlene was gone the next morning, with nothing more than a heart emoji text. It was so Darlene and Trenton felt herself smiling. Life without Darlene was quieter. More stable. As the weeks turned into months, Trenton started to wonder if she made their entire relationship up.

But see, Darlene was a tornado of sorts, and Trenton had to adjust to being plopped back onto the ground.

 


End file.
